“ What A Relief! ” Podcast 111: Jibreel Salaam and Mohamed Hassan from The Young and Muslim

In this episode of Islamic Relief USA’s “What A Relief!” podcast, host B.C. Dodge is joined by special guests Jibreel Salaam and Mohamed Hassan, who are the hosts of The Young and Muslim Podcast. If you haven’t heard their most listened to podcasts, you definitely want to check them out (along with all the episodes!)—their commentary on what it means to be young and Muslim in America is intriguing, contemporary, hilarious, and refreshing.

They bring some of
that same energy to this unique “What a Relief!” podcast episode, where they
share an inside scoop about how their childhoods led them to the creative work
they are now doing.

Friendship Formed from Two Different Paths

After Mohamed gives
his family’s background, he and host B.C. Dodge trade stories about visiting
Egypt. Jibreel jumps right in to discuss how few people beyond his immediate
family members were Muslim, a different experience from Mohamed’s.

Jibreel shares that
while he grew up in a small Muslim community, it was in a way that ended up
making his Muslim identity stronger in the end. He didn’t go to high school
with any Muslims, which it made it that much sweeter to meet someone named
Mohamed during his first day of class in college—and that’s where it all began.

“He had everything he
wanted; I lost everything I had,” Mohamed shares, as a way to explain how for
him coming to college was like losing a Muslim community, whereas for Jibreel
it was finding his first school-based Muslim friend.

The two spent the
first Ramadan away from their families together, a month filled with food and
friendship that created unforgettable bonding experiences, sealing the deal for
this soon-to-be best friendship.

Claiming and Navigating Your Muslim Identity

The conversation
continues to discuss Islam and why saying the testimony of faith (shahada) in a significant way is such an
important identity marker, whether you are a convert or born Muslim.

The two men also
address with admirable honesty about how college can be a period where Muslims (like
anyone) make mistakes, but they share relatable insight about the layers of
challenges about why those mistakes happen. The chaplain at their university
ended up playing a critical role in both of their experiences.

These special,
down-to-earth guests go on to discuss what’s next after college, what motivated
them to start a podcast, AM radio (yes, you read that right), and more. We
think this episode’s so good, it’s worthy of Apple Top Podcasts. But don’t take
our word for it, find out for yourself by listening in now. You don’t want to
miss this insightful conversation.

“What a Relief!” is the official podcast of Islamic Relief USA. Hosted by digital media specialist B.C. Dodge, IRUSA’s “What a Relief!” puts a human face on what’s going on in the world and how you can enact positive change in it. New episodes every week! LISTEN. SHARE. REPEAT.

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